An aria (Italian for ''air''; plural: ''arie'' or ''arias'' in common usage) in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment. Perhaps the most common context for arias is opera, although there are many arias that form movements of oratorios and cantatas. Composers also wrote concert arias, which are not part of any larger work, such as "Ah perfido" by Beethoven, and a number of concert arias by Mozart, such as "Conservati fedele".

The aria first appeared in the 14th century when it signified a manner or style of singing or playing. Aria could also mean a melodic scheme (motif) or pattern for singing a poetic pattern, such as a sonnet. It was also attached to instrumental music, though this is no longer the case. Over time, arias evolved from simple melodies into a structured form. In the 17th century, the aria was written in ternary form (A–B–A); these arias were known as ''da capo arias''. The aria later "invaded" the opera repertoire with its many sub-species (''Aria cantabile'', ''Aria agitata'', ''Aria di bravura'', and so on). By the mid-19th century, many operas became a sequence of arias, reducing the space left for ''recitative'', while other operas (for instance those by Wagner) were entirely through-composed, with no section being readily identifiable as a self-contained aria.

An arietta is a short aria.

Notable arias

!Voice type!!Aria!!Opera!!Composer
	O mio babbino caro	''Gianni Schicchi''	Giacomo Puccini
Sì, mi chiamano Mimì	''La bohème''	Giacomo Puccini
Vissi d'arte	''Tosca''	Giacomo Puccini
	''The Magic Flute''	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Song to the Moon	''Rusalka''	Antonín Dvořák
	''Porgy and Bess''	George Gershwin
Glitter and Be Gay		Leonard Bernstein
Sempre libera	''La traviata''	Giuseppe Verdi
		''Carmen''	Georges Bizet
Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix		Camille Saint-Saëns
Voi, che sapete	''The Marriage of Figaro''	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ombra mai fu	''Serse''	George Frideric Handel
	Ah, Tanya, Tanya		Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Weiche, Wotan, weiche	''Das Rheingold''	Richard Wagner
Lullaby	''The Consul''	Gian Carlo Menotti
	Celeste Aida	''Aida''	Giuseppe Verdi
Che Gelida Manina	''La Boheme''	Giacomo Puccini
Ch'ella mì creda libero	''La fanciulla del West''	Giacomo Puccini
E lucevan le stelle	''Tosca''	Giacomo Puccini
La donna è mobile	''Rigoletto''	Giuseppe Verdi
Nessun dorma	''Turandot''	Giacomo Puccini
Una furtiva lagrima	''L'elisir d'amore''	Gaetano Donizetti
Vesti la giubba	''Pagliacci''	Ruggero Leoncavallo
	Largo al factotum	''The Barber of Seville''	Gioachino Rossini
	''Carmen''	Georges Bizet
Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja	''The Magic Flute''	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Die Frist ist um		Richard Wagner
Tutto e deserto... Il balen del suo sorriso	''Il trovatore''	Giuseppe Verdi
rowspan=4	Non più andrai	''The Marriage of Figaro''	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
O Isis und Osiris	''The Magic Flute''	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Madamina, il catalogo è questo	''Don Giovanni''	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Hier sitz ich zur Wacht	''Götterdämmerung''	Richard Wagner

See also

Air (music)

Recitative

External links

The Aria Database

Category:Song forms Category:Opera terminology Category:Italian loanwords

bs:Arija bg:Ария ca:Ària (música) cs:Árie da:Arie de:Arie et:Aaria el:Άρια es:Aria eo:Ario fa:آریا (موسیقی) fr:Aria ko:아리아 hr:Arija io:Ario it:Aria (musica) he:אריה (מוזיקה) ka:არია kk:Ария lv:Ārija lt:Arija hu:Ária ms:Aria mn:Ари nl:Aria (compositie) ja:アリア no:Arie nn:Arie pl:Aria pt:Ária ru:Ария scn:Aria (musica) simple:Aria sk:Ária sl:Arija sh:Arija (muzika) fi:Aaria sv:Aria th:อาเรีย tr:Arya uk:Арія zh:詠嘆調

name	Acker Bilk
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Bernard Stanley Bilk
born	January 28, 1929Pensford, Somerset, England
instrument	Clarinet
genre	Pop, easy listening, dixieland
occupation	Clarinetist
years active	1954–2000, 2001–2002
label	Atco, EMI, Columbia Records,Castle Records, Philips Records, Stomp Off Records, GNP Records, Lake Records
website	Official site }}

Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk MBE (born 28 January 1929) is an English clarinetist. He is known for his trademark goatee, bowler hat, striped waistcoat and his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register clarinet style.

Biography

Bilk earned the nickname Acker from the Somerset slang for 'friend' or 'mate'. His parents wanted him to learn the piano, but as a boy, Bilk found it restricted his love of outdoor activities including football. He lost two front teeth in a school fight and half a finger in a sledging accident, both of which Bilk has claimed to have affected his eventual clarinet style. He learned the clarinet while serving in the Royal Engineers in the Suez Canal Zone after his sapper friend John A. Britten gave him a clarinet that he had bought at a bazaar and had no use for. The clarinet had no reed and Britten fashioned a makeshift reed for the instrument out of some scrap wood, and by the mid-1950s he was playing professionally.

Bilk was part of the boom in traditional jazz that swept the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. He first joined Ken Colyer's band in 1954, and then formed his own ensemble, The Paramount Jazz Band, in 1956. Four years later, their single "Summer Set," a pun on their home county co-written by Bilk and pianist Dave Collett, reached number 8 in the British charts and began a run of eleven top 50 hit singles.

Bilk was not an international star until an experiment with a string ensemble and a composition of his own as its keynote piece made him one in 1962. He wrote "Stranger on the Shore" for a British television serial series and recorded it as the title track of a new album in which his signature deep, quivering clarinet was backed by the Leon Young String Chorale. The single was not only a big hit in the United Kingdom, where it stayed on the charts for a remarkable 55 weeks, gaining a second wind after Bilk was the subject of the TV show This Is Your Life, but also shot to the top of the American charts at a time when the American pop charts and radio playlists were open to just about anything in just about any style. As a result, Bilk was the first British artist to have a single in the number one position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart. (Vera Lynn was the first British artist to top the U.S. Billboard charts with "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" in 1952). "Stranger on the Shore" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The album was also highlighted by a striking interpretation of Bunny Berigan's legendary hit "I Can't Get Started." At one point, at the height of his career, Bilk's public relations workers were known as the "Bilk Marketing Board", a play on the then Milk Marketing Board.

In January 1963, the British music magazine, ''NME'' reported that the biggest trad jazz event to be staged in Britain had taken place at Alexandra Palace. The event included George Melly, Diz Disley, Alex Welsh, Chris Barber, Kenny Ball, Ken Colyer, Monty Sunshine, Bob Wallis, Bruce Turner, Mick Mulligan and Bilk. Bilk recorded a series of albums in England that were also released successfully in the United States (on the Atlantic Records subsidiary Atco), including a memorable collaboration (''Together'') with Danish jazz pianist-composer Bent Fabric ("The Alley Cat"). But his success tapered off when British rock and roll made its big international explosion beginning in 1964, and Bilk shifted direction to the cabaret circuit. He finally had another chart success in 1976, with "Aria," which went to number five in the United Kingdom. In May 1977, Bilk & His Paramount Jazz Band provided the interval act for the Eurovision Song Contest 1977. In the early 1980s, Bilk and his signature hit were newly familiar, thanks to "Stranger on the Shore" being used in the soundtrack to ''Sweet Dreams'', the film biography of country music legend Patsy Cline. Most of his classic albums with the Paramount Jazz Band have been reissued and are available on the UK based Lake Records label.

Bilk has been described as "Great Master of the Clarinet". His clarinet sound and style was at least as singular as had been those of American jazzmen such as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Russell Procope, and "Stranger on the Shore" – which he was once quoted as calling "my old-age pension" – remains a beloved standard of jazz and popular music alike.

Acker Bilk continues to tour with his Paramount Jazz Band, as well as performing concerts with his two contemporaries, Chris Barber and Kenny Ball (both of whom were born in 1930) as the 3B's.

One of his recordings is with the Chris Barber band, sharing the clarinet spot with the band's regular reedsmen, John Crocker and Ian Wheeler. He made a CD with another legend of British Jazz Wally Fawkes for the Lake Records label in 2002. He has appeared on two recent albums by Van Morrison, ''Down the Road'' and ''What's Wrong With This Picture?''.

In July 2011 Bilk and his band are scheduled to play at the Sidmouth Folk Festival.

See also

West Country dialects

Django Reinhardt, another influential jazz musician whose dexterity seemed unimpaired by finger-damage

References

External links

Official website

Scrumpy & Western

Category:1929 births Category:Living people Category:People from Bath and North East Somerset (district) Category:Dixieland clarinetists Category:English jazz clarinetists Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Music from Somerset Category:Royal Engineers soldiers Category:Scrumpy and Western Category:Music from Bristol, England

cs:Acker Bilk de:Acker Bilk ko:액커 빌크 lb:Mr. Acker Bilk ja:アッカー・ビルク no:Acker Bilk pl:Acker Bilk pt:Acker Bilk ru:Акер Билк fi:Acker Bilk sv:Acker Bilk

Name	Toše Proeski ''Тоше Проески''
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Todor Proeski
Alias	Toše
Born	January 25, 1981 in Prilep, Macedonia, (then SFR Yugoslavia)
Died	October 16, 2007Nova Gradiška, Croatia
Instrument	Keyboard, guitar, piano
Genre	Macedonian Traditional music, Classical music, Pop, Rock, Classic metal
Occupation	Singer/songwriter
Years active	1996–2007
Website	www.toseproeski.info
Past members	}}

Todor Toše Proeski ( ; January 25, 1981 – October 16, 2007) was a Macedonian multi-genre singer, songwriter and actor. He was popular across the entire Balkan area and all around Eastern Europe, and locally he was considered a top act of the Macedonian music scene. Proeski was known for his strong vocal performances and trademark quote ''ве сакам сите'' ("I love you all"), and was once dubbed "Elvis Presley of the Balkans" by BBC News. He died in a car crash in Croatia on October 16, 2007.

Biography

Early years

Proeski, was born in Prilep,SFR Yugoslavia (today Macedonia), to Dominika and Nikola Proeski from Kruševo, his hometown, where he spent most of his childhood. After his musical talent was discovered at the age of 12, he was chosen to perform at the popular children's song festival Zlatno Slavejče (eng.: Golden Nightingale) in Skopje, performing the song „Јаs i мојоt dеdо“ in Macedonian-Vlach also called Macedo-Roumanian or Aromanian language. This was his first public music performance; however, his successful career began in 1996 when he participated in the teenage music festival Melfest in Prilep.

Following this public exposure, he was awarded for his strong vocal capabilities. This led to his rise to fame when he participated in the music festival Makfest in Štip with the song "Pusti Me" ("Let Me Go") in 1997. His fanbase quickly grew and he continued to make use of festivals, such as SkopjeFest and OhridFest, as a platform for promotion and publicity. Proeski collaborated with one of Macedonia’s acclaimed lyricists and composers, Grigor Koprov, to produce some of the greatest hits of his career such as "Usni na Usni" ("Lips over Lips") and "Sonce vo Tvoite Rusi Kosi" ("Sun in Your Golden Hair"). In 1999, he released his debut album, ''Nekade vo Nokta'' (''Somewhere in the Night''), which contained eleven tracks. In the summer of the same year, Proeski performed his first solo concert in Skopje.

In 2000, Proeski participated in the Eurovision pre-selection for Macedonia in SkopjeFest. He sang "Solzi Pravat Zlaten Prsten" ("Tears Make a Golden Ring"), which won the televoting from the public but he finished third overall, behind Karolina Gočeva and the winners XXL. During that period, he began recording the tracks for his second album, ''Sinot Božji'' (''The Son of God''), which was promoted by the end of June 2000. The album brought some great hits, like "Nemir" ("Restless") (a duet with Karolina Gočeva), "Vo Kosi da ti Spijam" ("Sleeping in Your Hair"), "Izlaži me Ušte Ednaš" ("Lie to Me One More Time"), as well as "Iluzija" ("Illusion") (Grand Prix at the festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk) and "Tajno Moja" ("Secret of Mine"). Two songs are composed by Kire Kostov (winning second prize at the festival Sunčane Skale, held in Herceg Novi, now Montenegro).

The Serbian production house BK Sound purchased the rights to release Proeski's latest album in the other former Yugoslav republics, which led to his victory of the Oscar of Popularity in those former republics for the year of 2000, and his sell-out shows in Skopje and Belgrade. Proeski embarked on an Australian tour along with other Macedonian singers in 2001.

Superstardom

After spending his time in recording studios in Athens, Greece, Proeski released his third album "Ako me Pogledneš vo Oči" ("If You Look Into My Eyes") on October 2002 in Macedonian and Serbian. After the release, Proeski went on a tour throughout Macedonia doing intense promotion. He also went to Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Bulgaria for further promotion. Proeski won Beovizija in Belgrade on April 2003, with "Čija Si" ("To Whom Do You Belong?"), a song which became a huge hit in Macedonia and the other former republics. This song was due to represent Serbia and Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 but the EBU stated that too many countries wanted to enter in that year and so some would be forced to withdraw. Serbia and Montenegro (who participated as one country at the time) were one of them.

To improve his singing, Proeski took classes in New York from maestro William Riley, who was also coach to famous tenor, Luciano Pavarotti. When he returned, Proeski held humanitarian concerts throughout Macedonia. He was awarded with the Mother Theresa Humanitarian Award and in 2003 he became a Regional UNICEF Ambassador. In 2004, MKTV chose Proeski to represent Macedonia at the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest in Istanbul, Turkey, and in February, he performed eight songs, where a jury, televoting, and his own opinion chose the song. The song "Angel Si Ti" ("You’re an Angel") was chosen by all three. In April, Proeski released his album "Den Za Nas" ("A Day For Us"), which featured the eight songs from the Eurovision selection in Macedonian.

In May, Proeski finished 14th with the song "Life", which was the English version of "Angel Si Ti”. Prior to the contest he was popularised by reporters due to his tremendous opera singing ability, at his press conferences.

All eight songs were recorded in English, but only the winning song of the national final "Life" was released. During the TV national final show, after each song was performed, a clip of the song was played in English to show viewers how it would sound if that song won the contest and was performed in English at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 final.

In 2004 Proeski was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and recorded the song "This World" which became the UNICEF anthem. Proeski signed a contract with Dallas Records so his next album could be released in Croatia and Slovenia. To establish himself in these countries, Proeski recorded "Krajnje Vreme” with Slovenian singer, Anja Rupel. In 2005, Toše’s fifth album ''Po Tebe'' (''After You'') was released throughout ex-Yugoslavia. ''Po Tebe'', is one of the most successful Balkan albums ever. It topped music charts for months in the Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

''Božilak'' (''Rainbow''), was a compilation of 14 selected traditional Macedonian songs arranged by Sasa Nikolovski Gjumar, Ilija Pejovski and Soni Petrovski. The artist was backed up by a symphony orchestra on the album.

His last album ''Igri Bez Granici'' (Macedonian title)/'Igra Bez Granica' (Croatian title) ("Game Without Borders") was released all over ex-Yugoslavia in August, 2007.

Apart from songs in Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian, he also recorded one song in Slovene, "Moja" ("Mine") in 2007, and one in Italian, "Aria" ("Air"), with Italian superstar, Gianna Nannini. List of artist who collaborated with Proeski include Anja Rupel, Antonija Šola, Bora Čorba, Karolina Gočeva, Esma Redžepova, Gianna Nannini, Goca Tržan, Grigor Koprov, Jeff Beck, Tony Cetinski, Željko Joksimović and other notable musicians. Prior to his death, he was a student in his final year in the solo singing department of the Skopje Music Academy.

Songwriting

Proeski also established himself as a songwriter. He wrote several hits for himself including "Ima Li Dan Za Nas" ("Is There A Day For Us"), "Slusaš Li" ("Are You Listening"), "Malečka" ("Little One") and "Polsko Cveḱe" ("Field Flower"). In 2004, Proeski composed "Muza" ("Muse") for Martin Vučić, the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest representative for Macedonia. It became the title track for the young artist's second album. In interviews, Proeski stated that he had written over 100 songs but was waiting for the right moments to record them as they were still in demo form.

On October 15, Proeski gave his final interview to the Macedonian Television Station Kanal 5. He talked about his intention to finish his Musical Academy studies, his search for his soul mate, and his new album in the works.

Toše's last concert was held on October 5, 2007 for the Primary Education Project for USAID. The concert raised tens of thousands of euros for the primary schools of Macedonia. The concert was attended by over 35,000 people and viewed all over the world.

Death

During the early morning of October 16, 2007, at 6:20 a.m., Proeski died in a car accident on the Zagreb–Lipovac highway near Nova Gradiška, Croatia. He was a passenger along with his manager Ljiljana Petrović in a Volkswagen Touareg driven by Georgij Georgijevski. The Touareg crashed into the back of a truck and then into the median barrier, killing Proeski instantly, crushing the third vertebrae of the neck, although the truck sustained no damage. Proeski was asleep in the front passenger seat at the time of the crash. Of the other two passengers, only the driver suffered serious injuries (head trauma).

Proeski's body arrived at midnight in Skopje by helicopter of the Macedonian army, and was transported by car to his home town Kruševo. Grieving citizens gathered to pay their last respects at the airport and also in Macedonia Square. The Embassy of the United States of America, the USAID and the Diplomatic mission of the European Union published official statements on the death of Toše Proeski. October 17 was pronounced a national day of mourning in Macedonia. The three days following his death were pronounced days of mourning in the City of Kruševo.

After his death, the government of the Republic of Macedonia, gave him the title "Honorable citizen of Macedonia"

State funeral

The government organized an official state funeral for Proeski, which was held October 17, 2007 in his home town of Kruševo, including military honour ceremonies by the Honor Guard Unit of the Macedonian army, such as a honor guard, a military orchestra and a honorary rifle salute. The funeral, which was broadcast by the national Macedonian TV was attended by many domestic and foreign delegations, including the President Branko Crvenkovski, the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, members of the Macedonian Parliament and its President Ljubiša Georgievski and other high-ranking officials, the US and the EU Ambassadors Gillian Milovanovic and Erwan Fouéré and other diplomats, representatives of the Red Cross, the USAID and other organizations, sport clubs etc. Also, the funeral was attended by many notable musicians from Macedonia and other countries, including: Karolina Gočeva, Kaliopi, Vlado Janevski, Lambe Alabakoski, Elena Risteska, Jovan Jovanov, Martin Vučić, Adrian Gaxha, Tijana Dapčević and her sister Tamara Todevska, Aki Rahimovski (the frontman of Parni valjak), Toni Cetinski, Ceca Ražnatović, Željko Joksimović and many others. The religious service was held by the Macedonian Orthodox Church led by the Archbishop Stephen of Ohrid, as Proeski was a declared Orthodox Christian.

Numerous websites, blogs and internet forums are filled with the last messages from his fans and friends (example). A petition is available on-line for Toše Proeski to be remembered by naming educational facilities, like the local Center for Music Education in Bitola, where he had studied to carry his name. Also this petition is to promote an annual humanitarian concert, carrying his name "Toše Proeski" for the poor and disabled and those of desperate need of medical attention. Also, a page for condolences can be found at the Kruševo municipality official website.

An online petition was held for a tribute to be paid to Toše Proeski at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. It gathered over 13,900 signings however it was not honoured. Tamara Todevska, singer of the Macedonian Eurovision entry of this year said that their entry was dedicated to a few people including their "angel who is up there watching over us".

Tribute concerts

On the 5th October 2008, the anniversary of Proeski's last concert before his death a tribute concert was held in Skopje. Over twenty singers from various Balkan countries performed.

A documentary about the work of Toše Proeski was released on February 12, 2009 in cinemas all over former Yugoslavia.

Another concert was held on January 24, 2010, a day before Toše's birthday.

Gallery

Immediately after Toše Proeski's death was announced, the citizens of Skopje and people from all around Macedonia, as well as foreigners, started to gather at the Macedonia Square bringing candles, flowers and messages of condolence in his memory. Also many institutions such as schools, universities, sport clubs and business companies joined the spontaneous commemorative campaign. Similar gatherings took place in many other cities around the country, but also around the Balkans, especially in the former Yugoslav countries and the diaspora. A mourning ceremony was organized in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina near Skenderija, where around 2000 people gathered to light candles in memory of Toše Proeski.

Discography

Albums

''Nekade Vo Nokta''(Macedonian language) (1999)

''Sinot Božji'' (Macedonian language)(2000)

''Ako Me Pogledneš Vo Oči'' (Macedonian language version) /''Ako Me Pogledaš U Oči'' (Serbian language version) (2002)

''Den Za Nas'' (Macedonian language version) /''Dan Za Nas'' (Serbian language version) (2004)

''Po tebe'' (Macedonian language version)/''Pratim Te'' (Serbian language version) (2005)

''Božilak'' (Traditional Macedonian folk songs) (2006)

''Igri bez granici'' (Macedonian language version) /''Igra Bez Granica'' (Croatian language version) (2007)

''The Hardest Thing'' (2009) [post mortem] (English version)

''Tose i prijatelji (album)'' (2010) [post mortem] [Balkan language version]

''"Tose: Poslednji pozdrav" (album)'' (2011) [post mortem]

Filmography

''2006 Zabranjena Ljubav'' one episode #1.402 Mladic Bosko

''2004 Kako Ubiv Svetec'' Tose

''2007 Nad Lipom 35'' one episode #2.2 Himself

Singles chart positions

The song "Čija si" (English: "To Whom Do You Belong") is considered to be Toše's greatest hit. "Čija si" received huge chart success and radio airplay bringing Proeski from star to music icon. His chart toppers include:

Year	Single	Translation	Chart positions	Album
!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	MTV Adria
	align="left"

:An em dash (—) indicates that the single did not chart.

See also

Music of Macedonia

References

External links

Official Website

Obituary from ''The Times''

Memory-of.com memorial site

Recording of the burial ceremony of Tose, Macedonian Radio Television

Category:1981 births Category:2007 deaths Category:People from Prilep Category:Macedonian Orthodox Christians Category:Aromanian people Category:Macedonian Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2004 Category:Macedonian male singers Category:Macedonian pop singers Category:Road accident deaths in Croatia

az:Toşe Proeski bs:Toše Proeski bg:Тоше Проески de:Toše Proeski et:Toše Proeski el:Τόσε Πρόεσκι es:Toše Proeski eo:Toše Proeski fr:Toše Proeski hr:Toše Proeski io:Toše Proeski it:Toše Proeski ka:ტოშე პროესკი lt:Toše Proeski hu:Toše Proeski mk:Тоше Проески nl:Toše Proeski ja:トシェ・プロエスキ uz:Toše Proeski pl:Tosze Proeski crh:Toşe Proeski ro:Toše Proeski ru:Проески, Тоше sq:Toše Proeski cu:Тошѧ Проѥвьскꙑи sl:Toše Proeski sr:Тоше Проески sh:Toše Proeski fi:Toše Proeski sv:Toše Proeski tr:Toşe Proeski bat-smg:Toše Proeski

Wilhelmenia Fernandez, sometimes billed as Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, is an American soprano, born in Philadelphia in 1949, who became famous as the star of the film ''Diva'' (1981) by French director Jean-Jacques Beineix.

Fernandez's early training was at the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts, followed by a scholarship at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. Her operatic debut was as Bess in ''Porgy and Bess'' for Houston Grand Opera, a production which toured both the USA and Europe.

She made her début in Paris as Musetta in ''La bohème'' (with Plácido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa) and at the New York City Opera in the same role in 1982.

Since then she has sung in operas and recitals in cities all over the world, her most notable roles being Carmen, Carmen Jones, for which she received the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1992 as Best Actress in a Musical and Aida, a role she has performed in Luxor and at the Pyramids in Egypt.

She has made recordings of George Gershwin and of Negro spirituals.

External links

Category:1949 births Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:American opera singers Category:Operatic sopranos Category:Living people Category:Olivier Award winners

de:Wilhelmenia Fernandez es:Wilhelmenia Fernandez fr:Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez la:Gulielmina Fernandez

Name	Lisa Gerrard
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lisa Gerrard
Origin	Melbourne, Australia
Birth date	April 12, 1961
Genre	Neoclassical, New Age, Ethereal Wave, Gothic rock
Occupation	ComposerSingerMusician
Years active	1981–present
Instrument	VocalsYangqinAccordion
Label	Gerrard Records
Associated acts	Dead Can Dance
Website	Lisa Gerrard }}

Lisa Gerrard (born 12 April 1961) is an Australian musician, singer, and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with former music partner Brendan Perry.

Since her career began in 1981, she has been involved in a wide range of projects. Gerrard received a Golden Globe Award for the music score to the film ''Gladiator'', on which she collaborated with Hans Zimmer. In addition to singing, she is an instrumentalist for much of her work, most prolifically using the yangqin (a Chinese hammered dulcimer).

Early life

Born 12 April 1961 in Melbourne, Lisa Gerrard grew up in the suburb of Prahran with her Irish immigrant parents. On her upbringing, she has said she grew up with "Mediterranean music blaring out of the houses," and that this influenced her music, particularly on later Dead Can Dance albums and in her solo and collaborative works.

Gerrard's first foray into forming bands and creative music-making was the highly experimental Little Band scene. It was at one of these little band events that she first met Dead Can Dance cofounder Brendan Perry. Perry recalls, "It never occurred to me that we would one day collaborate musically together because at the time I thought her music was too avant garde. I particularly remember one song that she sang about finding a man in the park and asking her mother if she could bring him home to keep in her wardrobe as she attacked this chinese dulcimer with two bamboo sticks."

Career

Dead Can Dance

Dead Can Dance originally formed as a quartet in 1981 in Melbourne, but in 1982 moved to London with members Brendan Perry, Lisa Gerrard, and bass player Paul Erikson. Shortly after coming to England, Erikson flew back to Australia, leaving the band as a duo. Dead Can Dance recorded eight albums on the 4AD Records recording label beginning with the 1984 LP, ''Dead Can Dance''. The band split in 1998, but reunited in 2005 for a world tour.

Solo and collaborative career

In 1995 Gerrard recorded and released her first solo album ''The Mirror Pool''. After the release of this album, she continued to work with Dead Can Dance, releasing their final album, ''Spiritchaser'', in 1996. Following this, in 1998 she recorded ''Duality'' in collaboration with Pieter Bourke. This album would mark the beginning of an extensive collaboration together for a number of film scores, including ''The Insider'' and ''Ali''. Gerrard began a new collaboration with Patrick Cassidy in 2004 with the release of ''Immortal Memory''. Again, this collaboration was furthered in film work, including ''Salem's Lot''.

The following year in 2005, Gerrard contributed to the ''Ashes and Snow Soundtrack.'' For the songs "Womb" and "Wisdom," Gerrard and Patrick Cassidy wrote and performed together. Gerrard's collaboration with Cassidy extended to include work with conductor Julie Rogers on the songs "Devota" and "Vespers."

In 2006, ''Sanctuary'', a documentary about the life and work of Lisa Gerrard, was recorded and released in September 2006. It is the work of multi-skilled producer/director Clive Collier and features extensive interviews with Lisa Gerrard and various people who have collaborated and worked with her in the past including Michael Mann, Russell Crowe, Hans Zimmer, and Niki Caro. The documentary was released on DVD by Milan Entertainment on 24 April 2007.

In the same year, Lisa Gerrard released her second solo album ''The Silver Tree''. This album was markedly different from her previous work and was also her first album released outside of 4AD Records. The album was first released on iTunes, with a wider physical release planned at a future date. The album was nominated for the Australian Music Prize for 2006. It is currently shortlisted as one out of nine of the best Australian albums. In 2007 a retrospective album ''The Best of Lisa Gerrard'', a compilation of fifteen songs, was released covering her career in Dead Can Dance, solo work, and film work.

A world tour was undertaken in 2007 beginning in April in Melbourne, Australia. This tour marked the first time Lisa Gerrard had toured in Australia, with a performance in three cities. The tour was followed by performances in Europe and North America. More performances took place in Europe and Russia from 30 October to 22 November 2007. In November 2007, Lisa Gerrard collaborated with German electronic musician Klaus Schulze on the double-album ''Farscape''. The album was released 27 July 2008 and was followed by a European tour.

In 2009 Lisa Gerrard completed work on the documentary by Australian adventurer Tim Cope called On the Trail of Genghis Khan and contributed her voice to the soundtrack, which began airing in 2010, of the Japanese NHK taiga drama ''Ryōmaden'', a story based on the life of Sakamoto Ryoma. Also in 2009, Lisa Gerrard created her own record label, Gerrard Records, which, aside from being a conduit for the release of Gerrard's future works will also act to promote and support unrecognised artists of all genres. In September 2009, Gerrard and Klaus Schulze performed another tour in six European cities - Warsaw, Berlin, Amsterdam, Essen, Paris, and Brussels. This tour coincided with the release of ''Come Quietly'', a joint project between Gerrard and Schulze that was released during the tour.

Lisa Gerrard released her third solo album, ''The Black Opal'' in October 2009. The album included collaboration with Michael Edwards, Patrick Cassidy, Pieter Bourke, and James Orr and was the first release to come from Gerrard Records.

In 2010 Gerrard released a new album with fellow composer Marcello De Francisci titled "Departum" from Gerrard Records which was followed by the release of three new singles; "Coming Home" - as featured in ''Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole'', "Entry" and "Come This Way".

Gerrard also collaborated with Prash Mistry from "Engine Earz Experiment" on a track titled "Spirit Guide" which will appear on his upcoming album in 2011.

On 1 December 2010 Gerrard capped off a busy 2010 with the release of a new soundtrack album with Cye Wood titled "The Trail of Genghis Khan" which contains music from the Gerrard/Wood score to the documentary TV series by Australian adventurer Tim Cope.

Vocal style

Lisa Gerrard has a contralto vocal range. Her vocals have been variously described as rich, jaw-dropping, deep, dark, mournful and unique. Her vocals spans into the dramatic mezzo-soprano range on ''The Host of Seraphim'', ''Elegy'', ''Space Weaver'' and ''Come This Way''. Gerrard performs in the dramatic contralto range on the other songs, ''Sanvean'', ''Sacrifice'', ''Largo'' and ''Not Yet'',

Gerrard sings many of her songs, such as ''Now We Are Free'', ''Come Tenderness'', ''Serenity'', ''The Valley of the Moon'', ''Tempest'', ''Pilgrimage of Lost Children'', ''Coming Home'' and ''Sanvean'' in an idioglossia (an idiosyncratic language) that she has developed since the age of twelve.

Film career

Lisa Gerrard's first experience in composing music for a film came with the 1989 Spanish film ''El Niño de la Luna'', directed by Agustín Villaronga. The film score was composed by Dead Can Dance and the film featured Lisa Gerrard in her first acting role. ''El Niño de la Luna'' describes the story of David, a young orphan with special powers, escaping an institution with the help of a fellow institute inmate, Georgina, played by Lisa Gerrard.

Gerrard participated in a number of musical scores but came to fame as a film composer after recording ''The Insider'' in 1999, with Pieter Bourke, and ''Gladiator'' in 2000, with Hans Zimmer, which received an Academy Award nomination for best music score, although only Zimmer was nominated. It did, however, win a Golden Globe Award for both composers. Gerrard's score for the New Zealand independent film ''Whale Rider'' consisted entirely of solo material; a soundtrack album was released by 4AD.

In 2005 Gerrard collaborated with Ennio Morricone for ''Fateless'' followed by a collaboration with Jeff Rona on the score for the feature film "A Thousand Roads" and the song ''On an Ocean'' for the ''Henry Poole Is Here'' score. Gerrard along with Dead Can Dance also provided several contributions to the soundtrack of ''Baraka'', a visual journey showcasing mankind's impact on our planet. Gerrard was also invited by Denez Prigent to collaborate with him on his piece "Gortoz a ran - J'attends" (meaning "I await"), a piece that was later used in the soundtrack of Ridley Scott's film ''Black Hawk Down''.

In 2009 Lisa Gerrard wrote the score for ''Balibo'', for which she won a Best Feature Film Score award at the ''2009 APRA Screen Music Awards'' and an Aria Award for Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album at the ''2009 Aria Awards''. Gerrard finished 2009 by contributing her voice to the theme song for the Japanese NHK taiga drama ''Ryōmaden'', which began airing in 2010.

In 2010 Gerrard completed the score for "Tears of Gaza" with Marcello De Francisci which was well received despite its controversial theme. Gerrard also scored the Jim Loach directed ''Oranges and Sunshine'' starring Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving released in April 2011.

In November 2010 Gerrard provided vocals and additional music for the post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller ''Priest'' scored by Christopher Young which was released in 2011.

Personal life

Lisa Gerrard is married to graphic design artist/music producer Jacek Tuschewski, and has 2 children.

Discography

Dead Can Dance

Career after Dead Can Dance

Solo Albums

* ''The Mirror Pool'' (1995)

* ''The Silver Tree'' (2006), release on iTunes and by Rubber Records and re-released in 2010 by Gerrard Records

* ''The Best of Lisa Gerrard'' (2007)

* ''The Black Opal'' (2009) released by Gerrard Records

Singles

* "Sanvean" (1995)

* "The Human Game" (with Pieter Bourke, 1998)

* "Abwoon" (with Patrick Cassidy, 2003)

* "Hommage A Polska. 17 września" (with Klaus Schulze, 2009)

* ''Coming Home'' (2010) released by Gerrard Records

* ''Entry'' (2010) released by Gerrard Records

* ''Come This Way'' (2010) released by Gerrard Records

Collaboration Albums

* ''Duality'' (1998), with Pieter Bourke

* ''Immortal Memory'' (2004), with Patrick Cassidy

* ''Ashes and Snow'' (2006) with Patrick Cassidy

* ''Farscape'' (2008) with Klaus Schulze

* ''Rheingold'' (2008) with Klaus Schulze

* ''Dziękuję Bardzo'' (2009) with Klaus Schulze

* "Come Quietly" (2009) with Klaus Schulze

* ''Departum'' (2010) with Marcello De Francisci

* ''The Trail of Genghis Khan'' (2010) with Cye Wood

Miscellaneous

* Microfile: Centerfold 7" ("Centerfold" and "Window") (1981)

* Compilation entitled "From Belgrave with Love" ("Mossaic" by Lisa Gerrard and "Summer house" by Microfilm) 1981

* The Future Sound of London sample her vocals from the song "Dawn of the Iconoclast" for their 1992 hit single "Papua New Guinea" (1992)

* French promo CD-single "La bas" and "Lament"

* Compilation entitled "These Wings without Feathers" ("Dreamsong" and "Untitled") (1996)

* Guest performer for the industrial/electronic music group Delerium entitled "Forgotten Worlds" on the album, Karma (1997)

* "The Wings of a Film - The Music of Hans Zimmer" ("Now We Are Free" live)

* With Orbital: "One Perfect Sunrise" on the album ''The Blue Album'' (2004)

* Orbital featuring Lisa Gerrard: "One Perfect Sunrise" (radio mix) CD single

* Orbital featuring Lisa Gerrard: "One Perfect Sunrise" (Phil Hartnoll mix) CD single

* With Denez Prigent: "J'attends - Gortoz A Ran" with Denez Prigent on the album ''Irvi''

* "An Hini a Garan" with Denez Prigent on the Album ''Sarac'h''

* ''Mantras of a Lost Archetype'' (unreleased solo album)

* The ''Ashes and Snow'' art exhibition by Gregory Colbert, (with Patrick Cassidy and Michael Brook, "Devota", "Vespers", "Womb", "Wisdom")

* ''View from a Window'' collaborative song recording in track title "There in Your Arms" (2008) with Josiah Brooks

* "Wisdom of Wind" composition with Jeff Rona, recorded by Tarja Turunen for her album ''My Winter Storm'' (2007) and present in the "Enough" single (2009)

Movie score composing/contribution

''Dèmoni 2'' (1986) (as Dead Can Dance)

''El Niño de la Luna'' (1989) (as Dead Can Dance, also with Lisa Gerrard in her acting debut)

''Baraka'' (1992) (as Dead Can Dance, with Michael Stearns)

''Heat'' (1995) featured previously recorded material from ''The Mirror Pool''

''Nadro'' (1998)

''The 13th Warrior'' (1999) with Graeme Revell (score later withdrawn)

''The Insider: Soundtrack'' (1999), with Pieter Bourke

''Gladiator'' (2000) with Hans Zimmer

''Gladiator: More Music From the Motion Picture'' (2000, released 2001) with Hans Zimmer

''Mission: Impossible II'' (2000) with Hans Zimmer

''Black Hawk Down'' (2001) - Song: "J'attends - Gortoz A Ran" with Denez Prigent

''Ali'' (2001) with Pieter Bourke

''9/11'' (2002) - Song: "Sorrow" composed with Klaus Badelt

''Whalerider (Original Soundtrack)'' (2003)

''Tears of the Sun'' (2003) with Hans Zimmer

''The West Wing'' (Television) (2003) - Song: "Sanvean" in the episode 7A WF 83429

''King Arthur'' (2004) - Song: "Amergin's Invocation"

''One Perfect Day'' (2004)

''The Passion of the Christ'' (2004) with Patrick Cassidy (score withdrawn)

''Man on Fire'' (2004) with Harry Gregson-Williams

'''Salem's Lot'' (TV mini-series) (2004) with Patrick Cassidy and Christopher Gordon

''Layer Cake'' (2004)

''A Thousand Roads'' (2005) with Jeff Rona

''Constantine'' (2005) (score incomplete and withdrawn)

''Fateless'' (2005) with Ennio Morricone ("A song", "A Voice from the Inside", "Return to the Life")

''Seoul Train'' (2005)

''The Greater Meaning of Water'' (2006) previously recorded material

''The Mist'' (2007) (The Host of Seraphim)

''Playing for Charlie'' (2008)

''Ichi'' (2008) with Michael Edwards

''Henry Poole Is Here'' (2008)

''Balibo'' (2009)

''Ryomaden'' (2010) Theme Song to TV Series

''From Ararat to Zion'' (2010) with Ara Torosyan

''Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole'' (2010) -"The Host of the Seraphim" (DCD) and "Coming Home" (solo).

''Oranges and Sunshine'' (2010)

''Tears of Gaza'' (2010)

''Samsara'' (sequel to ''Baraka'') composer of original music, with Michael Stearns and Marcello De Francisci)

''Priest'' - vocals and additional music

Sources

External links

Lisa Gerrard: Official Site

Lisa Gerrard: Official Online Store

Official YouTube page

Dead Can Dance Library

Dead-can-dance.com (Dead Can Dance Italian site)

Dead Can Dance Discography

Dead Can Dance interviews from the Echoes public radio show

Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke interview from the Ultima Thule Ambient Music radio show

Lisa Gerrard MySpace Page

popmatters.com

discogs.com

4ad.com

chicagomusicguide.com

milanrecords.com

Maddox, Garry (2005) "Gerrard's scores are on the board" in ''smh.com.au''

Sanctuary: Lisa Gerrard - A Portrait by Clive Collier ''Official Film Site''

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:4AD artists Category:Australian female singers Category:Contraltos Category:Female film score composers Category:Australian film score composers Category:Australian composers Category:Australian women composers Category:Women composers Category:Musicians from Melbourne Category:Mission: Impossible music Category:Australian people of Irish descent

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